We had been sailing for five days, and in those 5 days, we took turns telling Karl what he'd missed when he was gone, who had been assigned where and about Mother and Henry, who I realized that I missed very badly.
"I can't wait to see the look on Henry's face when he sees that I'm alive." Karl said snickering. I grinned, Henry would freak out and so would Mother.
"I can't wait to see the look on Chief's face." Chester added, "Imagine how scared he'll be." We all laughed at this, Chief would be horrified if he knew that Karl was alive, and that his secret was no longer safe.
Suddenly, I became aware of how slow we were moving, "Chester! Tula! Get back to your stations!" I exclaimed, "We need to get back as soon as we can!"
Immediately, the two sailors fled to their station and began sailing as fast as they could possibly sail.
All of a sudden, I felt a strange pain shooting through my head. The world seemed to be spinning around me and I felt as though I was being pulled out of my own body. Everything started to go dark, as if the sight was being drained out of my eyes and I could hear faint calls from a distance. It sounded like someone calling my name…
Then I was all alone in the blackness surrounding me, darker than the dead of night. "Hello?" I called out, "W-where am I?"
No response. I looked around helplessly, trying to find some form of light, any light at all.
All of a sudden, a quiet whisper slithered its way into my ears.
"Elas…" It said over and over, growing louder with each call. It was as if I was being attacked by a thousand voices, coming at me from different directions.
"Stop it!" I screamed, "Whoever you are, STOP IT!"
My head was throbbing. I felt as if a large, bony hand was squeezing my brain, emptying it of my secrets.
"You know who I am, Elas." The voice bellowed at me. It was louder now, clearer. It was deep, as if someone was trying to speak with an extremely sore throat. The words seemed to cut through the air. Then I heard a new sound. It sounded like glass shattering, like a hyena was running towards me, cackling.
The voice was laughing.
He was right.
I knew who he was.
"Sela! Sela!" I could hear familiar voices calling to me. The darkness around me shriveled, like paper before it's thrown in the bin. The loudness of nature rematerialized around me as I was thrown back into reality.
I gasped and spluttered as the air came rushing back into my lungs. My brother and Chester were holding up my legs, my head was in Matt's lap and the girls were on either side of me, clutching my hands in theirs. I tried to speak, but still, I struggled to catch my breath.
"Sela, you passed out…" Said Karl, his voice shaking.
"You were screaming… You kept saying 'stop' and you twitched like crazy." Morgan added.
"Chief… voice… laughing…" I managed to say between long breaths.
"Chief?" repeated Chester.
"Raganor…" I groaned, "Knows…"
"But how-" stammered Karl.
"He must've found out we left the Hut…" suggested Tula, wide-eyed with fear.
"Chester, Tula, to stations. Get us back by tonight." Karl demanded, "He could drain my sister before she even tries to fight him. Just like he drained me."
Chester and Tula jumped up and sped back to their stations. "Looks like the wind is on our side, guys," exclaimed Tula while undoing the sails, "tide too!"
She was right; the tide was high and the current strong. The wind seemed to have completely changed direction, forcing the current to change with it.
"It's the magic isn't it?" Chester asked, turning to Karl.
"You feel it too, don't you?" Karl asked me, his large mischievous grin plastered on his face, "The magic of the forest is on our side too."
I decided to put my head on the edge on the canoe and look down at the water, which was strangely soothing. I watched as a school of small fish swam by, their little tails wiggling behind them, not a worry in the world. I wished that we could have it as easy as they did, that we could live happily with nothing to disturb the peace.
"Who knows," said the voice in my head, "after we get rid of Chief, we might just have such peace."
"Yes," I thought, "we will."
As the day passed, I grew more restless and sleep became a thought, rest became an idea, I could only think about Mother and Henry, and the danger they could be in because I left. I thought about Matt, Morgan and Tula's families as well as Chester's. They could all have been in danger, they could all have been punished for what we did. A terrible feeling grew in my heart, and I just couldn't help but worry. As the full moon rose, I knew we were almost there and a part of me didn't want to go back for fear of what may have happened after we left. I could feel the warm tears falling down my cheeks and my throat beginning to clog.
"What's wrong, Sela?" Matt asked.
"I just – I never thought – It never occurred to me what Father would do once he found out that we broke the laws and left the village. He might be waiting for us on the shore, ready to kill. What if he punished our families for what we did?"
Tula's eyes widened in horror, "My little brother is back there," She whispered, her eyes watering, "he's so small, only in his fives! If anything happens to him, I won't be able to live with myself!"
"My sister," Chester muttered, "My ten-year-old sister."
"I'm sorry," I said, "I shouldn't have said anything."
"No," Replied Karl, "you were right to remind us."
I reached with my hand into the river and washed my face, as the cool water dripped down my head I felt as if my worries had been washed away, still I was scared, but I knew that I had to get home.